Passing through an Asian night market, you’re bound to see dozens of food stalls lining the streets offering all kinds of wok-cooked, grilled, or boiled snacks, but how often do you get to see a dapper businessman doing the cooking? Well, if you happen to visit the night market of Yantai, in China’s Shandong Province, you may just come face to face with the ‘Stir Fry CEO’!
Xiao Lu started running his family’s street food stall when he was 17. His father prepared the ingredients while he handled the cooking, but Lu quickly realized he needed something to set himself apart from the many other similar stalls in the market. One day, he put on a vest to add a touch of class to his attire, but the feedback was so positive that he eventually ended up donning a full business suit.
Chinese media report that Xiao Lu starts work at his night market stall at 5 pm every day and cooks around 200 servings until around 11:30 at night. His family assists him by cutting the ingredients and preparing the different sauces and broths, but he definitely steals the show with his unusual attire and CEO-like demeanor.
Lu’s dapper look has attracted comparisons to Sanji, the stylish fictional cook in the Japanese anime One Piece, created by Eiichiro Oda. He became so popular after he started streaming his stir-fry routine on sites like Douyin (China’s version of TikTok) that people started traveling from all over the country just to see him in action.
“People may come to buy out of curiosity, but what really keeps customers coming back is the taste,” Lu said in a recent interview. “I’m just doing what I love. If it can bring some positive energy, I’m very happy.”
The young ‘Stir Fry CEO’ said that business has been so good since going viral online that he works virtually non-stop from 5 pm until 11:30 at night, preparing a portion about every three minutes and sometimes handling multiple woks at once to keep up with demand.
For more unusual street foods, check out China’s unique stir-fried river rocks, and grilled ice.
